The Kansas Senate has approved limits on what state and local government agencies can charge people seeking copies of public records.

The 33-7 vote Thursday sends the measure to the House.

The Kansas Open Records Act allows government agencies to set reasonable fees and charge for the time it takes staff to review and retrieve records. The law isn't more specific, except to say a copying fee of 25 cents per page is reasonable for state executive branch agencies.

The bill would require agencies to fulfill requests for free if they involve fewer than 25 pages or less than an hour. Otherwise, agencies could charge up to 25 cents a page for copies and up to $60 an hour for staff time if attorneys are involved.